Brake Buddy Service

[Trek-Cyclist]

Brake Buddy Customer Service?
I had a problem with MY IN COACH BRAKE RECEIVER blowing fuses.
On May 14, 2010
I called Brake Buddy and was told to send it out to them and they would take a look at it and let me know what they find. They also said it was a 2 to 3 day turn-around time, during this call there wasn’t any discussion on fees etc.
Today May 28, 2010 10 days later I received a call from Casey Repair Rep from Brake Buddy and he said they found broken solder at the wire end and it would cost 40.00 to repair it. I said I didn’t want to spend the 40.00 to repair a lose wire solder send it back... Well he told me he wouldn’t do that I need to give him a credit card for the 40.00 balance and he would send it back. I again told him I wasn’t interested in spending 40.00 to solder a wire and please send it back. He stated the “ONLY” way he would send it back would be to DISTROY it because THEY already repaired it!
I would just say before you send anything to Brake Buddy for repair get all conditions in writing or recorded. I was told by Dennis, Casey’s Supervisor is the wires were broken and there is always a minimum 30.00 fee for repair plus 10.00 for shipping. (2 different stories) I made him aware I was never told that by anyone at Brake Buddy. If I did I would have waited for the FMCA Rally to get it repaired or replaced for maybe a lot less/nothing or I would have bought a replacement on the Web like EBay for less.
Needless to say Brake Buddy had me like others I’m sure bent over the barrel so I paid the 40.00 this time, never again!
Buyer Beware!

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trek-Cyclist Brake Buddy Customer Service? Needless to say Brake Buddy had me like others I’m sure bent over the barrel so I paid the 40.00 this time, never again!

Trek-Cyclist, Thankls for sharing your experience with us. I stopped using BrakeBuddy some 5 years ago and went with SMI and I knew Dan Decker! Dan did a good thing when he sold the business to Hoppy!

[Cousin Ed]

You sent it to them to have it repaired. They took it apart and found a simple fix. Does that mean they should not get paid for their time and shipping? I just don' see a problem with the way they do business.

[Trek-Cyclist]

It cost me 9.00 to ship it they turned a screw open the case found a bad solder. Yep then they should have CALLED me and ASKED before they went a head and did the WORK! To do the work then tell me it was 40.00 because that's was was quoted me when I first CALLED was UNTRUE!
All I was saying they WERE NOT UPFRONT WITH THE COST or PROCESS before they did the work!
I also feel to open a case by turning one (1) screw for 40.00 is like paying 700.00 for a wash and wax for your motorhome. You might pay that but not me!

[rv rick]

I had my Brake Buddy repaired after 3 years of steady use and I was very pleased with the result. They were fast, accurate and quickly shipped it back. I honestly do not think a $30 charge and $10 shipping is excessive since they have to pay their folks to test and fix the system.

I have also found that if something is out of warranty and I believe I can fix it, I will first take a crack at it and often can repair it. When I do send something in or have a shop look at it, I expect to pay a fee.

Best wishes on getting your unit working.

[RickO]

I can understand wanting to be contacted before a company began "spending my money" without my consent. However if my unit were out of wty... I contacted them... I mailed my unit to them... I would expect to pay for parts, labor and shipping. $40 would seem fair to me...even if it didn't include the fix because the diagnosis had to take 20 min at least and with shop rates what they are today it seems like a bargain.

Different strokes.

[Stevegd007]

I will jump in and say I agree with rv rick and RickO...I also had a BrakeBuddy failure with my unit plug in for the car. BrakeBuddy fixed my issue and also sent me a 12 volt plug in for the car. Yes it cost me as the unit was no longer under warranty, but the cost were worth it, fair and just. They also re adjusted my unit while it was with them. Turn around was quick and Customer Support folks at BrakeBuddy were helpful and nice.

[tncruiser]

30 bucs is a deal you didnt pay to have a wire repaired you paid 30 to have the correct wire repaired if you consider all the expenses bb has it was a deal
assume it took 20 min to unpack repair and send to shipping to send back thats 90 $ per hour i would bet bb has a hard time finding much profit in their service dept. brianj

[SideRoads]

I have had great customer service from BB, and will continue to use them for all my aux braking needs.

I never do anything without knowing the good, bad, and ugly of costs upfront.